New Thing MXene Can Block Mobile Radiation

MXene is a thing that sounds a bit like current-gen wonderthing graphene, in that it's a virtually 2D combination of titanium and carbon that can be rolled out of the machines at a thickness of just one nanometre. And that's enough to block mobile phone radiation, and therefore protect the sperm counts of the next generation of male youths if it can be incorporated into the trousers pockets of the future.

The discovery comes from South Korea's Korea Institute of Science and Technology in Seoul who were working with the Drexel University in the US, where scientists think they're onto a winner.

"It is hoped that the developed material can be used not only to block electromagnetic waves but for other various purposes," said team member Gu Jong-min, like it might be able to stop the world getting really excited every six months or so when SETI detects an errant signal coming out of a kitchen microwave.

But it's inside things where it could make the biggest difference, as being able to shield components within devices from the interference created by each other could lead to -- hooray! -- thinner and lighter things, as instead of using thicker materials to shield stuff from interference a few micrometers of MXene could be sprayed on instead. [Korea Times]